Be Compelling, Credible and Very Concise.
Why is it so difficult to define executive presence? Probably because it involves those things which we cannot see, but know it when we do see it.
So many of my clients across the United States struggle with some elements of their executive presence when they desire to move up to that top position. When I ask them to be specific about what behavior they are trying to change, they cannot pinpoint it.
In Sylvia Ann Hewlett’s book, EP Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success, she conducted extensive research at The Center for Talent Innovation (CTI). They surveyed 268 senior executives, and found that they look for Gravitas, Communication Skill and Appearance, and it is less about your performance and more about how you ‘signal’ your preparedness for the next bigger opportunity.
The qualities of gravitas include confidence, poise, emotional intelligence, integrity, reputation and standing and vision. The top communication skills qualities include being concise and compelling, ability to command a room, forcefulness, ability to read a client, ability to banter, and body language.
Appearance, which was the least important of the three includes grooming, physically attractive and fit, sophisticated clothing, height, and a looking young.
Great news that Hewlett says that they all can be learned. The take-away is to be, “compelling, credible and very concise,” she says.
Hewlett notes, that the results are quite biased with respect to gender, and that women tend to use props more, such as PowerPoint, notes, etc.
See Hewlett’s video here.